Hello from Jamaica and JDV!!! I was assigned to the ‘Painting Crew’ which consisted of myself (Nora Thornton), Leah Walker and Sara Gamble. We started off painting the doors of the resident’s apartments and then moved on to paint one of the security buildings that Donovan, the night watchman, uses. Painting the doors went relatively smoothly, but when we got around to the security building, God showed us His sense of humor. We began painting using the last of one bucket and were able to get half of the building painted. Once we opened the second bucket of paint and after painting ½ of a wall, I realized it was a different shade of color. So…….we began repainting the first area we had already completed so the whole building would match. Before we could finish , a rain shower blew in and began to rain. We were painting with water based paint, so when the rain began, the still wet paint washed off!!!!! Thank you so much to everyone who has been praying for us.
Bill, Leisha and Blake – I love and miss you and will be home soon.

Nora Thornton


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Hello everybody!
This week has been beyond incredible. It’s amazing the strength God gives everyone to get so much accomplished on the work site and at VBS. This is my first time to go to the deaf village and it has been so inspiring to see people who have so little love the Lord so much. I have been on the VBS core team this week and have met so many awesome kids. I met one little girl in particular named Natoya who found a special place in my heart. She clung to me all week and loved dancing to “Making Melodies”! I also had the opportunity to work on the site! Since I’m not the most skilled of the workers (to say the least), I got to shovel and mix concrete with Caroline, Ellen, Blayne, LeAnn, and Michael while Doug, David, Brian, and Allen took care of the ‘thinking’ jobs (they were so patient with us)! Even though the work was strenuous, we had a lot of fun. I have made so many new relationships with everyone on the team and have loved getting to know the people in the village. God truly blessed me by giving me the opportunity to go on this trip! I miss everyone at home and cannot wait for our last day tomorrow at YS falls and Montego Bay!

Hannah Levell

Hello from Jamaica!
I am not sure where to begin this experience has been different from other experiences , I have learned that I am just going though the motions of my walk. Not really having any growth moments right now just kind of sitting in a plateau not really going anywhere I am realizing I need to start walking with the Lord more. Spending more time in his world daily not just when I am away on a mission trip. VBS is going well I am really enjoying my time as Windsor children’s home and of course you guessed it I want to bring all 50 school aged children and all of the 13 babies home with me but I am keep telling myself I cannot do. And I can come back next year. To all my friends at the Arc I miss you miss you. Friday we head to Montego Bay for our fun day and fly out Saturday afternoon. I cannot wait to see all of you back home.
Love in Christ,
Brooke Hohfeld

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Hey Y’all,
I’m not sure what all I’m supposed to say on this thing so please bear with me and I shall do my best. I’m a member of the VBS core team and one of only 2 guys on said team. By Wednesday morning most of us had developed some sort of a relationship with a few of the kids. We love on every single child there at the Orphanage but a few kids have managed to make a special impact in my heart. The first is an 8-year-old boy named Raymond who, on the first day, ran right up and grabbed my hand. He makes it a special point to be either by my side or in my arms the entire time I am there. His best friend is a boy named Ivan whom Blake Boyd has a great relationship with last year. (Blake, he remembers you and wants to know where his green Grace Church Jamaica-2009 shirt is.) When I take out my camera to take some pictures they immediately bust out some sunglasses and put on their biggest smiles. They also want to see every picture I take and take some themselves. Now many of y’all may not know me or know what I look like, so just to catch you up with everyone here at the JDV, I’m about 6’5” and the children use me as a walking, talking jungle gym. Yesterday during the last 15 minutes of VBS at the Orphanage 10 kids created a game called “Touch the Ceiling”. This game consists of me lifting them up to the ceiling so that they can touch it. The faster the better. Now that may not seem all that bad because the biggest kid can’t way more than 70 lbs, but when you have 10-15 kids all wanting to touch the ceiling more than once than who needs to go to the gym? You can get a perfectly great workout by coming to the Windsor. The girl who created this game Kareem Cornwall is also like Raymond and never wants to leave my side. She is a beautiful girl who is always the first to say hello and the last to say good-bye to me. I’m truly going to miss seeing these wonderful children every day and am so thankful God has given me the opportunity to come to Jamaica for a second time. Thank y’all for taking the time to read what I have to say. Hope everything is well back home. Mom, Dad, Whitney, Adrienne, Matt and Lance, I mss and love you all. To my nephew Will, I miss you and love you like crazy buddy and I can’t wait to see you again. And to my other nephew Max, I’m looking forward to seeing you for the first time. Take care everyone.

-Brent Walker


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Greetings from Jamaica and the Deaf Village. We miss all of our family back at Grace Church and appreciate your prayers and support. This mission trip is a testimony to how God can and does bless a body of believers who works together in His field of service, whether giving, praying, or going. We are truly blessed. I miss those of you who, for whatever reasons, could not be with us this year—Valerie and Karen, I’m talking to you! Caren Foster, I miss you but feel your prayer support.
Our ministry at the Windsor Lodge went very well, thanks to your prayers and those of our team. It was great to renew acquaintances with children I’ve come to know and love over the past several years and to meet new kids as well, esp. the 13 new babies. My special friend there—Andre Poyser—has graduated valedictorian of his class at Munro College and is enrolled at the University of the West Indies in Kingston for the fall term. He is a wonderful Christian young man, one who has a very promising future ahead. He will be missed at Windsor because he has been such a wonderful mentor for the younger boys there.
Bob, I love and miss you. I’ll see you Saturday night.

T. J. Wright

(Karen this tractor misses you!!)

Another great day here in Jamaica. The Lord has truly blessed me being able to get here despite all of the obstacles. We had another great day at VBS getting to see all the new infants at the orphanage. There were about 8 or 9 babies under the age of 1, which was an amazing sight to see. I have grown close with the eldest teenager at the orphanage. His name is Andre and he is a true man of God. He cares for the dozens of children that look up to him as a fatherly figure and has got a great future ahead of him. He plans on attending college the coming fall and wants to eventually move to the United States to study math. The worksite was also great today. I think we made a little more progress than yesterday and Doug taught me how to use a circular saw so I got to cut pieces of wood all afternoon. Now I want to give a few shout outs. Blake Boyd I hope you had a great birthday today and Caroline wanted me to tell you she loves you and to have a happy birthday. Also to my family, I love you and hope everything is going good at home. I will see you in a few days. And last but certainly not least, Amy I miss you so much. I hope you are having a great week and I cannot believe our wedding is so soon. I love you so much and cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives together. Hope all is well in Wichita Falls and we will see you all Saturday night.
Blayne Berry


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Hello!
This is my first time in Jamaica, and so far it has been wonderful! I am on the core VBS team so I get to go to the orphanage every morning and hang out with the kids. It is just such an eye opening experience to be a part of their lives for a week, and see where they live and what their environment is like. I have grown close with a boy named Kevin, he is 16 years old and is such an amazing kid. He helps look out for all the other kids and knows a lot about the Lord. He has such patience and such a kind heart. Kevin and I talked about school one day, and he told me his favorite subject was math, and that he loves school. I told him I was awful at math, and he told me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it, and that that’s what he did. He decided he wanted to be good at Math so he put his mind to it and he loves it now. It made me realize how much I take my education for granted. Another boy that has touched my heart is a boy named Odane. He is autistic, and the first day we were there he was in the back by himself so I decided to just go sit with him. He did not talk, had no emotions, but I just sat with him, the next day (which was today) I did the same thing and he already is starting to show more emotions towards me. He smiled so big when we gave him pencils and he LOVES juice. He still doesn’t talk, but he likes to point and smile more to communicate with me. The hardest part of being here is wanting to take every kid home with me. This experience is teaching me to be grateful for what I have, and that the little things we think don’t matter or we don’t ever think about, are huge to them and matter a lot, because they have so little. My time here has been great so far, and the team I am here with is super amazing! Love every one of them! Justin if you read this I miss u and I wish you were here and I will see u soon! Love u!
Cassidy Guice

For the first day on the work site everything went well, as usual it was a slow start, but once we got going everything fell in place. Part of the team took down lentils that had been poured in the previous week. Then the rest of the team worked on forming up the lentils on the second story.
All in all, no one got hurt and we made some headway.
- David Harrison

Hola friends!

Today has already been super exciting and very exhausting. You would think the people at the orphanage would have it easier than those on the work site, but I beg to differ. Both jobs are great but man those kiddies will wear you out! Haha But don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t change it for anything. It’s always a little chaotic when you first get there and especially when they find out there’s a microphone, it seems to be the coolest thing in the world to them, but I can’t really say much since I do the same thing haha. But once we got everything set up Rachel Hardin and I lead the songs and dancing. You can’t go wrong with Make a Melody and Fruit of the Spirit! Then Hannah and Brent did a puppet show about Nicodemus and how he met Jesus. Then TJ shared John 3:16 with them and they already knew it by heart. And to hear those sweet voices shouting “For God so loved the world…” Wow, what a great testimony. Then later LeAnn decided to get some of the girls out in front of the building and have an America’s Next Top Model photo shoot. We got super into it! After lunch, its time for the second VBS and back out to the work site. I’m so excited. The Lord is doing so incredible things and it’s only been a couple days. You never know what the Lord has planned for a week like this, but even the smallest thing like the roommates has made the biggest impact on me thus far. Anyway, thank you for all your prayers! Keep it up! Oh and Blake Boyd if you read this, get better and have a HAPPY BIRTHDAY tomorrow!

- Caroline Wilson

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Hello!

LeAnn Duran here, I will be taking pictures this week, and I will share a few on here throughout the week. Here are a few from today and yesterday... Enjoy!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

It’s really hard to put into words the thoughts, sights, smells, confusion, heartache, joy and feelings that were shared today at the infirmary. It was humbling to see and everyone that has the chance should go at least once. I had no idea what to really expect and it was really eye opening. These people are the most “disadvantaged” people I’ve ever seen. They have nothing, no families left that stay with them, no luxuries, nothing… yet they have a love for God like I’ve never witnessed. They appreciate the littlest of gestures and just love someone to talk to. This experience has really made me reconsider what I think I “need” and “want”. The people in the infirmary really touched my heart but one in particular was a 67-year-old bed-ridden woman named Rachel. She has been there for 30+ years and was the sweetest most thankful women I’ve meet here. Another one of my teammates and I were reading a Psalm to her and she knew every single word of it and said it aloud with us without looking at her bible. I thought how amazing it was that someone who had, in my opinion, more of a right to be angry with or not trust God than I did, knew His words, were fed, and lived by His promises. Throughout her turmoil’s and the trials of everyone else there she kept her faith and that I feel is what this is really all about. I’ve been so “over focused” and connected to the world that I’ve lost my clear connection with my Creator. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to realize this and to hopefully carry with me a greater understanding that I’m living for someone other than myself. My hope is that through out this week that God will continue to reveal himself to me through the children, the work site, the devotionals, the amazing mission team that I get the privilege to serve with, the beautiful landscape/view, and most of all the wonderful people of Jamaica! The people at the infirmary will continue to weigh on my heart and I hope that through our visit today that we were able to give them at least half the joy they gave us by being there to visit and serve them.

Brianna Tallman

7/25/10

Hello from Jamaica mon!!! This is Melanie Randolph . Today has been such a wonderful yet emotional day. We were blessed to attend the New Life Deaf Church this morning. I was able to join in the worship with sign language. It’s funny how we tend to think of worship as one certain way. But it is whatever glorifies God! It doesn’t matter if it’s with your hands, voice, thoughts, or what language or if you even use a language. When we gather together to worship Him, we are one body. What a glimpse of Heaven I have been blessed to see!!! Brothers and sisters in Christ were gathered with one goal—to worship and glorify our Creator and Savior! I so enjoyed watching the sermon that Sheldon prepared for us. God is using peoples’ hands and hearts in a mighty way here. I was thrilled to visit with the Deaf here. We talked about everything and I made sure they remembered the Texas signs I taught them last year like “y’all”!!!! I talked with Erica about our similarities with raising our children and how we handle different situations. Mom to mom. What a joy!!!! I played with their children and watched their signs. I’ve taught my kids the same signs!!! We are one with one God!!!!

Later we went to the infirmary. That is always the hard part of the trip. It’s an overwhelming feeling of sadness yet joy. Most of these people know Christ as their Savior but the world has tossed them away. They are God’s children!!! He loves them as much as He loves me. He died for them as much as He died for me. I sat with a woman who has been there too many years. She lay contorted in her bed unable to ever get up. As I approached her she seemed to smile. I asked her how she was doing today; what else was I to say? She looked at me and said, “I’m blessed, mon. I’m blessed.” What? Does she realize where she is? Yes, she does. She is more aware of her surroundings and God’s provision than most of us. She thanks God daily for keeping her alive. That I don’t understand. So I sat down next to her to see her closer and allow her to not strain to look up at me. I asked her if she needed anything. She said, “No, mon. I have everything.” Then she breaks into a song that I think she made up about how blessed she is and how much she loves God. We talked about Heaven and how that will be a place of great joy. She breaks into another song about Heaven and how she will sing “Hallelujah!!!” when she gets there. Then my feet started itching. I was being bitten by the same fleas that infested her bed. She didn’t seem to care about them. As a matter of fact, she still thanks God for His blessings and provisions. How can you say that? She is content in her Savior and His love for her.

Moral of the story? Contentment. Gratefulness. Love. Generosity. Unity. And one day, in the not too distant future in the great timeline of eternity, we will all be praising God in our own special way. Via hands, hearts, voices and every other way. We will be praising our Lord and Savior. Praise God!!!!

To my family and friends: I miss y’all very much (HI Jordan and Kiran Ann). I am fine and having the time of my life. I’m in my niche. Hopefully, next year Jason will be able to join me. And our son Jordan has already said he wants to come minister to everyone here. I can’t wait to share the experience with anybody and everybody. This is a time where God and I are doing a lot of talking and it is nice to unplug for a while and get back with Him. I can’t wait to see what else He has in store for me here. Please keep all of us in your prayers.

VBS at Windsor Lodge

As I looked around the room at the orphanage, chaos reigned. Then Lance, with his booming voice, got the kids’ attention and had them sit down around him. He told them how the disciples tried to keep the children from coming to see Jesus, but Jesus declared that they are precious to him, and how He wanted them to come to Him. The kids listened attentively, and then it was my turn.
I would be presenting the gospel using the Gospel Flipper-Flapper. It is a small cardboard booklet with a different symbol on each flap. Each symbol represents a different aspect of the Gospel. About a month and a half ago I went to Amarillo with Janet Johnson and a group of teens for a training conference through CEF. We learned how to use the Wordless book and the Flipper-Flapper, among other things.
Now I was praying I would remember everything I had been taught.

The majority of these kids have behavioral problems. Most of them are there at the orphanage because their parents are unable to care from them, and from my understanding the parents are the ones who brought them there. As I looked out at the young faces around me, I was filled with excitement that God had allowed me the opportunity to verbally share his love with them. As I started speaking, 30-something pairs of eyes watched closely as I held up the Flipper-Flapper. They interacted with me, answering my questions. When I asked them who Jesus is, one little boy, about 9 or 10 years old, responded, “He’s our Savior.”
I am certain that this is not the first time these kids have heard the Gospel. And many of them will hear it several more times before they actually listen and make a decision. But one of the things I was taught through CEF is that God’s word will not return void. Whenever His truth is taught, it is powerful and seeds are planted. Each time a church group comes and shares the Gospel, another seed is planted in another child’s heart.
These kids are desperate for the love and security that can only be found in Jesus Christ, and for 4 days this week, a handful of people from Grace Church had the privilege of showing it to them.

Amy Underwood

More work being done

Pete and a few other worked in the apartments all week installing new "door bells" for the residents. They are installing door bells that are attached to lights. When a visitor presses the door bell, a light flashes in each room to let the resident know someone is at the door.


Travis and many others worked hard to get the block laid for the walls of the the dining hall and dorms. This project is expected to be completed in 2010.


Many hands make light work. Or at least lighter work!

More Pictures from Jamaica

Becky Looney with the children of the residents in the Deaf Village. Becky and several others spent a few hours every afternoon playing with the children and giving them time to interact with hearing adults. What a blessing this has been to the children in the village.


Paul Bice and Becky Marushia are laying block with help from TJ Wright. What a great team!


Several members of the team painted the women's dorm. This building will be the new missionary house this coming year and they are doing everything they can to get it ready for the new arrivals.

Trusting God

Coming on this trip was a big step for me in learning to trust Christ. Much of it has been uncomfortable for me, but I keep focusing on the Lord’s goodness and His truth. The people on this team and in the village here have been an amazing tangible expression of God’s love to me. This has helped to increase my trust in Him. I thank everyone at Grace for allowing me to join the team for afar.
Heidi Truitt

A Wonderful Experience

It is the last day at the worksite and we have survived. What a wonderful experience and blessing. I can’t wait to share it in detail with everyone.
Linda B. & Jenny C.
P.S. – We have become known as “the Sister Act!”

What an Awesome Place

What an awesome place and experience; I never tire of coming here because God has something different for me each time. As I looked over the team list, I was struck by the fact that so many people with whom I have served here have so deeply influenced me. VBS at the Windsor Lodge carries with it mixed emotions; sadness that the children there are either parentless or have been abandoned because either the parents can’t care for them or don’t want them, but joy that we can, at least for a brief time, bring some happiness into their day and share Christ’s love with them. We have reached our last day here at the deaf village. We are tired and sore but also excited because we have accomplished much, under God’s grace, both at the village and in our own personal lives. Our God is truly an awesome God!
T.J. Wright

God's Hand is on the Team

Racing to complete the last row of blocks on the west wall of the new dining hall-I was caught up in the tyranny of the urgent. I heard the cry that Donna McCulloch was hurt and possibly had a broken wrist. I immediately jumped off the scaffold to discover Donna had fallen at the work site and indeed her wrist was broken. Karen Nordahl immediately responded with an ice pack and we splinted her wrist with a 2 x 2 board from the work site. I would soon learn that God was in control and would provide for his faithful servant. Her first words after the accident were “I can’t finish my job” not that I am in pain or look how deformed my wrist looks. Mark White informed us how long it would take to get proper care and he told us it would probably be a couple of days. He also told me he could not guarantee high quality of care by American standards.

Our prayer chain was initiated, e-mails went out and God would provide care and comfort for his good and faithful servant Donna. Being of limited faith, God would soon teach me a valuable lesson. Our missionary Mark White called for their local doctor who was on vacation and could not see us. The orthopedic doctor’s office was full and would not take an appointment for the afternoon. We embarked to Mandeville and we were seen by a very kind and competent orthopedic surgeon. Upon entering the office we heard strains of Christian music and were immediately comforted. He agreed with our diagnoses of a Colles Fracture. He sent us to an X-Ray Facility and told us we would probably wait a couple of hours. Upon entering the facility we saw a sign that said x-rays would be interpreted four to five hours after they were taken. Twenty minutes later we had our x-ray in hand, talked to the Board Certified Radiologist from the US named Dr Chamberlain, and were traveling back to the orthopedic surgeon’s office. Dr. Mullings and his kind wife administered a Bier’s Block for anesthesia and were able to set the right radial and ulna fractures essentially pain free. A cast was applied and we walked out of the office shortly after four. Our missionary proclaimed he wanted to join our church’s prayer chain. What a miracle we had witnessed today. Praise God.

Paul Bice

Pictures

TJ at the infirmary sharing the gospel with one of the residents.


Karen laughing and reading a story to the kids at children's church on Sunday.


Russell, Brittani, and Jeremy mixing mortar. More Morta Mon, More Morta!


Enjoying some down time playing dominos with Lawrence Jr.